An Adopted Daughter

Laaaadies!!
this is Madison.
So I got an email update from my friend Hilary who is living in Africa for about 2 and a half months. She's at a missions training school called Iris. Well anyway, she sent this email about what she's been learning and I think it's awesome! I wanted you to read it too! :D

here it is:

"We have heard from both Rolland and Heidi Baker. When Heidi spoke, she shared on the Spirit of Adoption. Her sermon was based off of Ephesians 1. She used the illustration of the village children who come into the centre. When kids come they are shy and timid and afraid of the dogs. The children would rather sit in a dark corner by themselves instead of playing with other kids. Once the children have figured out that they are loved and are chosen to be here, then their entire attitude changes. They begin taking ownership of the centre, they come to eat and talk with everyone, they run to the people for hugs and love, and they begin to command the dogs to go sit down. So the lesson was that we can walk in the identity that God has called us to. We can’t just walk around earth with the attitude of “if God wants to use me or do this than He will.” No! We have to walk in our identity! We have been chosen to be holy and blameless before Him! He chose us for His pleasure, He finds pleasure in us. We are not just tolerated, we are welcomed. This has been sealed by Holy Spirit and we are God’s possession. Now if we are walking in this attitude we can lay hands on the sick and see them healed; we can walk confidently and worship him because we are His children. At one point Heidi asked “What is our identity?” My friend Brandy shouted out “Fullness!” It then hit me, that yes we are called to live in fullness in Christ. If Christ walked in it, then I can walk in it. And so can you. Also, we learned from Heidi that being a "sold-out Christian" doesn’t mean we have to go and sell everything and live with nothing in the dirt. Being a sold-out Christian means we can live in freedom, wherever we are. There is no condemnation whether we are living in the dirt with sick and hurting children, or sitting wrapped up in a blanket watching our favorite movie on our big screen and eating Mizithra cheese spaghetti. Your identity is how you will choose to act. If you see yourself as an Orphan, then you will live as an Orphan timid and fearful; but if you see yourself as an adopted son or daughter of the most high King, then that is how you will live; as a King or queen, walking in love and power. So walk out your identity!

May Jesus minister to you right now and call you as a King or Queen, his beloved!"

so yeah, that's totally what we've been talking about in small group too. cool stuff :)

-------MADISON TOPPER